Sun and Moon
by PhoenixSong4232
Summary: Sneaking into the water district disguised as a regular high school student wasn’t awful. He would do anything to accomplish the mission his father had sent him on, anything to gain his respect. Falling in love was never part of the plan. Zutara AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Alright first attempt at an Avatar fiction, much less an AU fiction… basically I'm kinda working this thing out as I go so you'll have to bear with me. This first part is a preview of things to come much later on and not actually where the story begins. Enjoy and review, thanks! By the way Zuko needs a last name for this story so I'm going to go with Sozin, like the comet/fire lord…okay yeah. If anyone has any suggestions for last names for Aang, Katara, and Sokka that would make my life much easier! ******

**Couplings: Zutara, Taang, Sukka. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. **

_Katara watched horror stricken as the gun went off, the sound it made piercing the darkness and reverberating into the air. As soon as the weapon fired, her body had gone numb, ignoring her brain screaming at her to move. It was in that moment that she knew she was going to die. All at once a strangled cry erupted to her right and the next thing Katara knew there was a body in front of her, standing between herself and the murderous woman with the gun._

"_NO!" she screamed, but it was too late. A hiss of pain escaped her savior's lips and he jerked backwards, staggering a couple of steps as the bullet made connection with his flesh. _

_It seemed to take him forever to fall, time moving in slow motion as he slowly tipped forward, his hands twitching in an unfulfilled effort to stop himself from hitting the pavement. Not that it would make much difference; he'd taken enough damage already. Katara's vision blurred as she took a hesitant step forward, her brain refusing to process what had just happened. _

"_My work here is done," Azula murmured, her hand still holding the smoking gun loosely at her side, her lips folded into a smug sneer. She could end the other girl's life right now, but how much better it would be to let her live with the pain of knowing that she'd stood and watched while the young man she'd loved died for her. Turning mutely the woman walked away, leaving her dying brother behind her. Katara barely noticed her exit. _

"_Please," she whispered, the pleading word leaving her lips like a prayer. Then she was running, her feet pounding on the cement below her as she raced towards the fallen boy. _

"_ZUKO!" _

……………

"Young man!" Zuko's head snapped off the desk and he found himself looking guiltily up into his mathematics' teacher's eyes. "It is obvious you already know the material I am teaching so well you see fit to sleep in my class instead of paying attention," Mrs. Yugoda snapped. The usually calm woman had finally lost her temper with the young man and his apparent lack of interest in the class. Zuko rapidly shook his head, trying to brush his long bangs out of his eyes as he opened his mouth to respond.

"N-no ma'am that's not it. I'm sorry, last night I had to help my unc-…"

"No excuses! I don't care if you are new here; we expect the same behavior from you as we do the rest of the students. Don't think I'm going to treat you differently just because you haven't been here as long," she told him. Zuko sighed and sank further into his seat. How could the old bat know that he'd like nothing more than to be treated the same as everyone else, to blend in…but some things just didn't come so easy.

It was rare for a student to transfer from the fire district and because of this Zuko attracted stares and whispers wherever he went. The water district wasn't nearly as extravagant as his old home and the young man found himself constantly being pestered with questions as to why he had moved to a 'lower class,' why he lived with his uncle and not his parents, and how in the world he had gotten that horrible scar on the left side of his face.

The young man had pointedly ignored all of these questions thus resulting in the other students drawing up conclusions of their own. Rumors had circulated quickly and the next thing Zuko knew he had recently been involved in a tragic fire that destroyed his family's house. Because of this, his mother and father had to work to save up money for the extensive necessary repairs, resulting in his uncle taking him under his wing and moving somewhere less expensive until reconstruction was complete. The story was definitely a far cry from what was really going on; none of their guesses were anywhere close to the actual truth of why he was here… Despite this, he went with the story in order to avoid anymore unwanted questions.

Yugoda clucked her tongue in annoyance yet thankfully moved back to the front of the room and continued writing equations on the board. Zuko let an inaudible sigh of relief slip from his lips and sank even farther into his chair, hoping that by doing so he would somehow escape the constant glares shot his way by the older woman. Hearing giggles to his right, Zuko turned his head only to see two of the girls in his class quickly drop their gaze, the tips of their mouths folded up into sappy grins.

Rolling his eyes Zuko returned his focus to the blank pages of his notebook, letting himself slip even farther down into his chair. Unfortunately he slouched a little too far this time as his feet suddenly slid forward and he was thrown off balance, his whole body tumbling out of the desk and landing on the floor in a heap.

"Mr. Sozin!" the teacher snapped as gales of laughter burst out from his classmates. At that moment Zuko wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor and disappear, to escape from the jeering faces, raucous laughter, and pointing fingers. Fate however, seemed to be on his side for the bell chose that moment to ring, ending the class period and releasing the students from their prison. Letting his classmates swarm around him in their mad dash to the door the young man rapidly picked himself up and shoved his notebook into the open red backpack at his feet. He had no recollection of what that day's lesson had been about.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" Startled, Zuko glanced up to see a pretty girl with long braided brown hair looking up at him, a math textbook clutched tightly in her arms.

"Uh, yeah…" the young man replied, averting his eyes as he leaned down to pick up his backpack, his face still beat red from that class period's humiliation. If his father had seen the way he'd behaved…

"…Song." Zuko blinked, only then realizing that the girl was still talking to him.

"Sorry what?" he asked, straightening up and trying to ignore the pointed glares he was receiving from Yugoda. Clearly she didn't want him in the room any more than he wanted to be there. The girl laughed and took two steps towards the door before pausing and looking back in his direction. It was only too obvious she was waiting for him and there was no way he could avoid the situation without being rude. It wasn't that he minded giving her the slip but his orders were to blend in as much as possible and being an outright jerk would only make him stand out all the more. Falling into step alongside her, Zuko suppressed an irritated sigh and left the math room behind him, making his way down the hallway.

"I was telling you before, my name's Song," the girl told him, a small smile flitting across her lips.

"Oh, um…Zuko," the boy responded dumbly. Song giggled.

"I know," she replied. An awkward pause followed this statement and Zuko found himself at a complete loss for words. This was the first time since he'd moved to the water district that someone had attempted to make conversation with him instead of just asking stupid questions. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to anyone; he was just naturally not a people person and tended to shy away from relationships of any kind. He didn't have his sister Azula's confidence or ability to march up to a random stranger and literally demand their attention; somehow that never seemed to end well anyway. Song meanwhile, was still attempting to make conversation with the sullen new kid.

"So, do you miss the fire district?" she asked, jerking Zuko out of his stupor.

"Uh, yeah. Kind of I guess. Some of it," he answered choppily. A brief image of his girlfriend Mai flashed through his mind but he shook his head, refusing to let the picture linger there. He'd had no chance to tell her good bye before leaving and he knew she was probably hurt and angry. Hopefully she would understand some day. It was too much to hope that Azula had told her the true reason behind his motives for coming here.

"Well this is my class so…see you later, Zuko." Said boy blinked and glanced up to see Song standing outside of the chemistry classroom, the faint odor of chemicals wafting unpleasantly out into the hallway.

"Yeah, see you…" but Song had already disappeared inside. Sighing Zuko turned away, taking a left down the next intersecting hallway and arriving at the boy's locker room for gym, his next class of the day. Shaking his head to try and clear the lingering haze from his mind he entered the room

BAM! Zuko jumped backwards as he felt the door make contact with something most likely human, judging from the yowl he'd heard upon impact. Glancing down he saw a boy about his age sprawled on the floor, a slightly dazed expression on his face.

Zuko refrained from releasing a growl of annoyance at the constant stream of unfortunate incidents fate seemed to be throwing at him that day and instead considered his next course of action. Fortunately his decision was made for him as the boy suddenly sat bolt upright, his eyes narrowed accusingly in Zuko's direction.

"Ouch! What the heck was that for, you big jerk!" Zuko blinked, not expecting the sudden outburst.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" he snapped, a bit defensively as the boy got to his feet. He was tall but still about an inch shy of Zuko, his messy hair pulled back into a short ponytail and his expression set into one of blatant irritation. Despite his tough guy act however, Zuko got the feeling this kid wasn't really someone to be taken seriously.

"Heeeeeeey I know who you are! You're that new kid from the fire district aren't you?!" the boy suddenly exclaimed, slamming one fist into his open palm.

"Yeah," the young man responded, not bothering to hide the annoyance in his tone. Fortunately for him the other kid didn't seem to notice.

"Do you have a name oh mysterious fire district boy?" The blatant sarcasm was hard to miss, yet Zuko got the feeling the teen wasn't really irritated at meeting him.

"Zuko," he replied shortly.

"Sokka…charmed," the kid introduced, the edge of his mouth curving up into the slightest of smiles.

"Sokka come on lets go!" Said boy turned to where two of his classmates were beckoning him to hurry up, the perfect picture of impatience on their faces.

"Be right there, geez!" Sokka replied before turning back to Zuko. "I'll be seeing you. Hurry up, the bell's going to ring soon and try to avoid attacking any more innocent people with locker room doors." With those departing words he turned and headed to where his friends were waiting before disappearing into the gym. Zuko shook his head and grabbed the combination lock keeping his locker shut, wondering what other 'adventures' happened to lay in store for him.

……………………..

The rest of the day passed by unbearably slowly as far as Zuko was concerned. All he wanted was for the final bell to ring and release him from that dungeon of a high school. When the final bell did ring, the young man was the first to dash out of his history class to his locker, cram his textbooks onto the shelves, slam the door shut, and make a bolt for the door. Swerving around a corner the exit appeared in front of him like a picture out of heaven, the sun streaming through the transparent window, the perfect picture of freedom. So focused was he on putting as much distance between himself and the school as possible that he didn't notice the two girls walking out of Chong's English classroom until it was too late.

He glanced up just in time to crash into the girl on the right, knocking her clean off her feet and sending her textbooks flying all over the hallway. His backpack, which had only been half closed, jerked wildly, sending his papers and notebooks sailing out and onto the floor. To add to his already extreme embarrassment Zuko found himself losing his balance as well and toppling over, winding up directly on top of the girl. Startled golden eyes met ocean blue ones and it was in that instant that his life turned upside down.

…………………

**Yeah so finished this chapter in my third hour study hall…nothing else to do in this class. Review please, I would really appreciate it. More of Zuko's "mission" will be revealed in the next chapter, basically as soon as I think of more ideas :P. Thank you very much!**

**~Phoenix**


	2. First Impression

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. Your advice is really helpful and your comments definitely inspire me to write more. Thank you for sticking with me through chapter one, hope you enjoy this as well. **

…………

Katara wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. One minute she had been talking to Suki about Chong's most recent love tangent and the next she was on the ground, staring up into the most beautiful pair of golden eyes she had ever seen. It took a moment for her brain to get a hold of itself but when it did, it took all of .2 seconds for the realization of what this probably looked like to hit her like a tidal wave.

Her face flushed a magnificent shade of fuchsia and she pushed the boy off her, probably a little harder than necessary, and scrambled for her textbooks. Once she had them all safely in her arms she jumped to her feet and whirled to face the kid, her long braid whipping over her shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she asked, her cheeks still bright red, raw embarrassment fueling her words. The young man paused in picking up his notebooks and papers to raise his eyes to hers, a scowl on his face, his eyes flashing angrily.

"It was an accident, I didn't do it on purpose!" he snapped. Katara bit back an angry response, startled by the harsh undertones in his words. She had only yelled herself because she had been so startled by their sudden predicament that she hadn't known quite what to do. Letting the breath whoosh from her lungs she took a moment to get her racing heart under control before kneeling down on the floor and picking up the closest stray sheet.

"You're right, I'm sorry I yelled. Here, let me help you," she offered, her lips folding into a smile.

"I don't need your help!" His blatant refusal caught her off guard and she stared at him like a deer caught in headlights before her smile melted away, replaced by an angry frown.

"W-well fine! I didn't actually want to help you anyway!" she shouted lamely, but he was already storming away down the hallway. "You forgot your stupid sheet!" she yelled after him, tempted to crunch it up in a ball and throw it at his stupid retreating back. Deciding against this alluring idea she turned to her friend, steam practically shooting out of her ears. "Can you believe that guy? What a jerk!" she raged. Suki, who had been quiet up until this point, nodded her agreement.

"No kidding," she replied. "What was his name anyway?" Katara's scowl deepened.

"How should I know?" she snapped. Suki gave her a wry grin.

"It's probably on that sheet in your hand, I mean it does belong to him doesn't it?" she reasoned, pressing on when Katara didn't respond. "Come on, aren't you even the least bit curious?"

The brunette opened her mouth to say that she most definitely was not interested before realizing this was a complete lie and she knew it. Suki apparently knew it too and before Katara knew what had happened the other girl had snatched the sheet from her hands, flipped it over and read the name out loud, her eyes lighting up in recognition.

"Zuko Sozin…Oh! He's got to be that student who transferred over here from the fire district!" she exclaimed excitedly. Katara's lips twisted into a sardonic grin and she crossed her arms.

"Well that explains a lot. I've never met anyone from the fire district who wasn't a complete idiot!" she growled. Suki laughed and elbowed her lightly in the ribs, the two girls once more making their way down the hallway.

"Well how many people from the fire district have you actually met?" she asked.

"Only two and that's two more than I ever want to meet again," Katara replied with a scowl. Suki's smile faltered.

"Does this have anything to do with your moth-…" but the look on Katara's face shut her up. Sighing Suki shifted her backpack across her shoulders and decided to drop the subject but there was one more thing she had to ask before doing so.

"I wonder how he got that scar on his face, it looks like something terrible happened to him," she murmured. Katara frowned.

"Scar? What scar?" she asked. Suki stopped in her tracks and fixed Katara with a disbelieving stare.

"Seriously you didn't see it? I mean I know his bangs were kind of hiding it a little but the guy was right on top of you. How could you have missed it?" she asked incredulously. Katara stopped as well, wracking her mind for some memory of this scar Suki was talking about. Much to her dismay the only thing she could really remember about when the two had been so close was how his breath felt on her face and the beauty of his amber eyes…

…………

SLAM! Iroh raised one eyebrow at the abuse of his teashop's front door, a sure sign that his nephew was home from school. The sound of stomping footsteps tramping up the stairs only further confirmed his suspicions and he waited a moment, counting patiently under his breath.

"3…2…1…" BANG! A small smile found its way to the old man's lips as he heard his nephew's bedroom door slam shut and he wondered vaguely whether or not it would be a good idea to head good naturedly to the store's second floor, open the door, and ask how the young man's day had gone. Zuko had already told him he would help handle the store when he got back from school and Iroh decided purposely pushing his nephew's buttons probably wasn't the best thing to do if he planned on having a pleasant afternoon.

A bell jingled overhead announcing the arrival of a new batch of customers and forcing Iroh to put his thoughts on hold. If it got much busier he wouldn't have a choice but to call Zuko down earlier than normal in order to maintain control over the shop. Business tended to pick up once school let out as the Jasmine Dragon was very much the place to be after studying hours were over. Besides, he was expecting some guests and it would be very unwise to keep them waiting. Putting on his business smile he straightened his apron and headed out from behind the counter onto the Dragon's main floor.

…………

Zuko groaned as he heard the tea shop's bell ringing, alerting him to the fact that the first customers of the afternoon had arrived. Right now the last thing he felt like doing was putting on his stupid apron, going downstairs and dealing with people. The teen was lying on his bed, staring gloomily up at his ceiling, and wishing he could just ignore his father's strict orders to attend the local high school. He hated that building with a passion and today's encounters had not improved his feelings towards the place at all.

He winced as the bell rang again and he knew he really ought to be getting his butt off the bed and downstairs to the Dragon's main floor. If he took too long he knew his uncle would come up and get him anyway and he didn't need that humiliation added on top of everything else that had happened that day. Sighing he swung his legs over the side of the bed, his foot clipping the edge of a portrait resting on his nightstand and sending it crashing to the floor. Zuko swore and dropped down to his knees beside it, gently picking the frame up and checking it for damage.

It was a picture of a smiling woman with long brown hair and kind eyes, cradling a small sleeping baby in her arms, her face peaceful and content. Zuko's eyes softened as he looked at her, his emotions slipping from angry to somber in the period of two short seconds. Shaking himself he set the unharmed photo back on the table and reached for his apron, tromping out of his room and slipping it ungracefully over his head.

He was met by his uncle as soon as he stepped onto the main floor, the older man shoving a tray of tea into his hands and telling him to give it to the 'kind men at table four.' Biting back an irritated response Zuko did as he was told, plastering a pained smile on his face as he wove between any people or stray chairs that happened to get in his way. He arrived in a matter of mere moments without too much incident and wasted no time launching into his monotonous waiter ramble:

"Okay so who ordered th-…"

"Hello Zuko."

He almost dropped the tray.

……………

Sokka pulled into the driveway of his blue ranch style house, putting the car into park but leaving the keys in the ignition.

"Alright, the Sokka bus has arrived in the station, everybody out!" he announced, unlocking the doors and making shooing motions with his hands. Katara rolled her eyes at the older boy but opened the car door anyway, letting Suki slip past her before exiting the vehicle herself.

"Aren't you coming?" she asked when her brother didn't move.

"Nah, I've got somewhere to be," he answered, returning the car to drive. Katara smirked.

"Where could you possibly have to go?" she asked teasingly. Sokka flushed and muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?" Suki chided, her lips breaking into a smile as well.

"I'm going to the hospital to visit Yue," the young man muttered. "She's not doing so well this week." Katara immediately lost her teasing demeanor, her eyes softening at the look on her older brother's face.

"Okay, I'll tell dad. Say hi to her for us," she said to him. Sokka grinned at her, his normal energy returned.

"Will do. See you around Suki," he finished, waving at the short haired girl before backing out into the street and driving away, disappearing around the corner in a matter of moments.

"Come on let's go," Katara said as she turned towards Suki, only to see that the other girls eyes had a bit of a glossy look and her cheeks were flushed slightly pink. "Suki?" she asked, waving her hand in front of her friend's face. "Anybody home?" Suki immediately blinked and shook her head, grinning at Katara and laughing nervously.

"Yeah of course. Come on, I need your help with my history paper." Before Katara could say anything or look further into her friend's strange behavior, Suki had grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house, her face still tinted red.

…………

Sokka pulled into the hospital parking lot, his heart heavy and his mind in more of a haze than usual. Almost mechanically he parked the car and stepped out, making sure his keys were in his pocket before locking the door and heading towards the looming building. A cold wind whipped past, jerking his hair and clothing, almost making him wish he'd brought his jacket. The weather had been looking poor all day and it seemed that the skies had finally decided to unleash their watery contents on the world below. A single drop fell on his nose and he paused to stare up at the graying sky high above his head. Naturally it would decide to rain on the day he visited her. Sighing he shook his head and trudged forward, setting his hand on the door handle and pushing it open.

Almost immediately he was met with the smells of antiseptic, plastic, some kind of rubber substance, and whatever the doctors and nurses happened to be serving for lunch that day. All together not the most pleasant of scents but he supposed it could have been worse. At least he didn't have to live in this dismal place, not like Yue… Thoughts of the girl immediately reminded him of why he was here and he unconsciously quickened his pace, rounding a corner and arriving at the check in desk.

The lady behind the counter was a slightly plump woman with curly brown hair pulled back into a loose bun and bright purple tweed glasses resting delicately on her nose. She glanced up from her work as the young man approached and immediately a smile graced her features.

"Ah Sokka, visiting Miss. Yue again are we?" she inquired pleasantly. He nodded.

"Yes ma'am, may I go on ahead?" She nodded and raised a hand, casually waving him on his way.

"Of course you can. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you," she told him. Sokka smiled at her.

"Thank you," he said simply before walking past the desk and continuing on down the hallway. He turned left down the next hallway and immediately climbed a brief flight of stairs before stepping onto the next landing. Walking about ten feet forward he paused outside of an especially pasty white door before taking a deep breath and tugging at his hair, trying his best to make his pony tail lie just a little flatter. He then rested his hand on the door and knocked three times.

"Come in," a soft voice from inside the room called and he was quick to obey, wasting no time opening the door and stepping in. The room was simple, very white and plain. A small mirror was placed on one side of the wall, a television screen hanging suspended above it. A large window took up most of the opposite wall, the pane shut and the curtains drawn. Various machines were placed next to a stiff looking white bed and in the bed sat Yue.

Her face broke into a large smile when she saw Sokka and she attempted to sit up a little straighter, her eyes brightening as he came towards her.

"Sokka! It's so good to see you!" she exclaimed happily, her tired face glowing. The boy grinned at her, drawing up a chair and sitting at her bedside.

"It's great to see you too Yue. How are you feeling today?" The silver haired girls smile faltered for the briefest of moments before appearing again.

"I'm feeling great. Better than I have in a long time," she said to him. Sokka looked at her, his eyes catching and holding hers in his own. He saw the sadness there, the untruth of what she just said. He knew she was lying to him. Opening his mouth he tried to think of something to contradict her, to tell her she didn't have to pretend to be okay when he knew she wasn't but something stopped him. She was trying so hard, he couldn't bring himself to tell her he knew the truth. Instead he put his usual goofy grin on his face and nodded.

"That's great to hear!" There was a moment of silence in which the only sounds were the steadily increasing wind outside and the faint ticking of Yue's bedside clock before Sokka's face brightened. "Oh hey, I brought you something! I made it myself," he added proudly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a deformed lump of clay. Yue blinked at the object in his hand, not really sure what to make of the gray thing he was smugly presenting to her.

"It's great Sokka…um, what is it exactly?" she asked. The young man blinked at her.

"It's the moon! I tried to make it into more of a crescent shape because I didn't think the full moon would look as cool, seeing how it's just a circle and all…" he trailed off and looked at the object in his hands, a dejected sigh escaping his lips. "It's kind of pathetic isn't it?" he finished lamely, pouting at the 'moon' in his hands. Yue shook her head rapidly and gently took the clay from Sokka's hands.

"No, it's not pathetic at all. I can definitely see it's the moon now; I can't believe I didn't notice it sooner," she told him seriously. Sokka glanced up at her, a soft smile forming on his lips. Laughing he shook his head.

"It's okay; I know it's not the greatest thing in the world. Thanks for being nice about it though," he said.

"No really! It looks just like the moon!" Yue protested. Sokka glanced at her and couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped his lips. "What's so funny?" the girl asked, her head cocked slightly in confusion. The young man grinned.

"Nothing, nothing. You're just really cute when you're flustered, that's all," he answered. Yue blinked at him, her cheeks flushing red. The two stared at each other for a moment in silence when all the sudden there was a resounding thunder clap that shook the room and caused them both to jump, Yue instinctively grabbing for Sokka's arm. He let her take it, his amused smile only widening.

"Geez Yue, I didn't know you were so scared of thunderstorms," he said to her. The girl pouted and pulled away, shooting him a look.

"I am not afraid of storms! I was just startled, that's all," she insisted.

"Whatever you say," Sokka replied, his eyes full of mischief. "Just, you know, let me know if you need me to protect you from the big scary thunder! I'd be more than happy to keep you safe for awhile." The blush returned to Yue's face and she gaped at him for a moment before turning away and fixing her stare on the pasty white sheets covering her skinny frame.

"Actually I really like to watch thunderstorms. All that power those clouds toss around so easily, it's kind of inspiring to watch," she murmured. "They're so free…so uncontained. I almost envy them…" Sokka's smile melted off his face as he caught the longing in her voice and saw the deep sadness reflected in her cobalt blue eyes. Pushing away the heaviness beginning to yank at his heart he forced a smile on his face and jumped off the chair, moving over to the window.

"Well if you like to watch storms so much, why do you have the curtains drawn?" he asked, not waiting for her response as he took one in each hand and threw them open. The room was immediately flooded with pale gray light reflecting from the weeping sky, all of it smearing together as thousands of raindrops made their way down the window pane. Sokka stood transfixed as a huge streak of lightening cut the sky in half before fading, making way for yet another rumble of thunder. He moved back to the bed, this time sitting beside Yue on the mattress and unconsciously lacing his fingers through hers. The girl smiled and snuggled into him, letting her head rest against his shoulder while he wrapped his free arm around her, pulling her gently closer to him.

"Isn't it amazing?" she breathed, watching yet another lightening bolt ascend from the heavens. Sokka looked at her, his eyes trailing from her beautiful silver locks to her slightly parted, smiling lips and then finally up to her sparkling blue eyes.

"Yeah…pretty amazing," he murmured, leaning towards her. Yue turned to him just in time for his lips to press softly against hers. She tensed for a moment before relaxing, her eyes fluttering closed and her hand tightening its grip on his.

The two stayed that way for a spell before pulling back, both of their faces slightly red. Sokka could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he was acutely aware of how close she was to him. The two had kissed before but even so, it was something he never grew tired of. Then, all of the sudden, she was hugging him, holding him close to her as though she was afraid he would suddenly disappear. His senses were consumed with the scent of her hair, the heat of her touch, her presence all around him... He was about to inquire about this sudden action when he felt her shoulders shake and he realized she was crying. Surprised he pulled back and searched her eyes with his own.

"Yue…? What's wrong?" he asked, concern filling his words. Yue bit her lip and looked away from him, her frail fingers clenching and unclenching the sheets.

"Sokka I… the doctors said that… I don't know…" and then she was crying again, her small body shaking uncontrollably. Sokka's heart froze. He knew how sick she was, he'd known for a long time. He knew she was no longer responding to treatment and that it would only be a matter of time before… But she had never spoken of it, never so openly. She always tried to look on the bright side of things, always tried to make him smile. Yet here she was, finally breaking down in front of him and he wasn't sure if there was anything he could do to help. So, he did the only thing his instincts were telling him to, the only thing that felt right.

He reached out to her, cradling her shaking body in his arms and she latched on to him, her hands gripping his shirt, her face buried in his chest.

"I've accepted it," she whispered, her voice choked and barely decipherable. "I've accepted the fact that I won't be here much longer but I… I don't want to leave you; I don't want to leave everyone!" Sokka closed his eyes, feeling warm tears of his own welling up behind his eyelids. He would not let them fall, at least not in front of her. He was supposed to be her strength, her pillar. How in the world could he be if he was a sobbing mess himself? Instead he held her all the closer, stroking her hair and wondering himself just how much more time she had left…

……………

Zuko stared in disbelief at the man sitting in front of him, a smug smile on his lips, his eyes narrowed in dangerous amusement.

"You seem surprised to see me Zuko," he drawled, lazily resting his chin on his calloused knuckles.

"Zhao," the young man hissed, the name dripping off his lips like poison. "What the hell are you doing here?"

………………

**So that's chapter 2. I know it had a lot of Sokka/Yue stuff in there but this is going to end up Sukka. Anywho hope you all liked it, hope everyone stayed decently in character. Please please review and let me know your thoughts on it. Thank you so much!!**

**  
~Phoenix**


	3. Storm

**A/N: Hey, thanks so much to everyone who reviewed my last couple of chapters, your reviews keep me writing. More should be explained in this chapter, sorry if it's been hazy up until this point. Just a general note to everyone, there isn't any bending in this story. Sorry…I know its fun to write but it'd be kind of random if we had benders in the real world, not that it wouldn't be awesome, just saying. Please review with your comments and suggestions. Thanks!**

……………

Zhao sneered, clearly quite amused at Zuko's obvious blatant surprise and irritation regarding his unexpected presence in the tea shop.

"Why so angry Zuko?" he inquired, the smirk spreading across his face. The young man scowled.

"I'm not angry, I just want to know why you're here," he hissed in response, glancing fleetingly over his shoulder to make sure they weren't attracting any unwanted attention from the customers. The man shrugged his shoulders, letting Zuko's statement roll off of him like water.

"Your father sent me. I think he's interested in your progress," he answered simply, fixing Zuko with a hard stare. "You've been here three weeks already; surely you must have figured something out by now." The boy's stomach clenched and shifted his gaze to the steaming tea tray he still held in his hands.

"I… I think I may have a lead of some sort," he muttered, hoping Zhao would just leave it at that. Naturally things were never that easy.

"Oh really? Do tell, I'm sure you want me to be able to report something to Ozai," he stated, leaning back into his seat and continuing to stare at Zuko with that irritatingly smug expression. The boy wracked his brain, trying desperately to think of something he could say that would be a legitimate response to Zhao's pressing questions. Truth be told he still had yet to find any information on the man they were seeking but he knew revealing this would bring disfavor upon him in his father's eyes. It also wouldn't be a surprise if the man sitting before him stretched the tale in order to make Zuko sound even more pathetic than he already felt.

"Nothing huh? What a disappointment." Zhao had clearly read the conflicting emotions racing through Zuko's eyes and come to the conclusion that the young man really did have nothing to say worth mentioning. "I suppose it is most fortunate for you then, that I have information for you." Zuko's head snapped up and he gaped at the man, immediately suspicious as to why in the world his father's right hand would want to help him.

"What's in it for you? Why would you want to help me?" he asked cautiously. Zhao's sneer disappeared, his eyes narrowing in annoyance.

"Believe me, I wouldn't. My orders come from your father; he thought this information might prove beneficial to your cause," he replied curtly. Zuko nearly rolled his eyes but caught himself just in time. _Figures,_ he thought to himself. Fixing the man with one of his nastier glares, the young man waited for him to spill what he had to say, nearly throwing the tea tray at him when he proceeded to remain stubbornly silent.

"Well!?" he fumed much than louder than he'd meant to, all the chattering voices suddenly fading as his outburst cut through their various conversations. Zuko flushed and tried to avoid the many pairs of eyes that had curiously turned his way, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm his rising anger and clear his head. Zhao however, seemed determined to make this difficult for him.

"Really Zuko… subtlety is obviously something you're still struggling with. It makes me wonder if it was a wise decision for Ozai to send you on this mission and not your sister. Azula clearly has a much better head on her shoulders…" the man crooned in a purposefully disinterested way. Zuko's eyes flashed and he nearly dropped the tray, wanting nothing more than to pummel the bastard into a bloody pulp. At the last second however, he remembered where he was and contained himself, fixing Zhao with a withering glare. The man's lip curled as he took in the boy's tense frame and carefully controlled expression.

"Very good, you're learning to control that nasty temper of yours. The fat old geezer has clearly already begun to impact on you. I didn't realize you were so soft," he murmured, his eyes fixed on Zuko, eager for his reaction. There was a pause before the young man very carefully put the tray down, his hands shaking with the effort he was putting forth to control his temper. Looking Zhao straight in the eye he hissed:

"This isn't the place to talk. There are too many people around who could easily overhear whatever the hell it is you have to say. Meet me tonight after the Dragon closes and you can tell me your information then. I'll let Uncle know to expect you." With those words he turned smartly around and stormed off in the other direction, leaving Zhao alone at the table. The man watched him leave with a scowl on his face, a sense of deep loathing stirring in his gut. That boy would get what was coming to him; there was no doubt about it. He was involved in some very dangerous business and in this business; accidents were bound to happen…

………

"Agh, stupid storm!" Katara moaned as she glared out the window to where the rain was pounding down in rapid torrents. She and Suki had walked the few blocks from her house to the library earlier that day in order to get the piles of homework they'd received finished sometime before the next millennium hit. Her father Hakoda had been involved in another of his meetings and the two girls hadn't wanted to disturb them, thus resulting in the library trip. What Katara hadn't counted on was the storm now raging ferociously outside the sanctuary of the library.

Suki had left about an hour earlier yet Katara had stayed, wanting to finish her biology homework before retiring home for the night. Now here she was, stuck in a library that just happened to be closing in five minutes.

"Make that three," she mumbled to herself, glancing at the large clock ticking irritatingly away on the wall. Groaning she stood and swiped her papers and folders none to nicely into her backpack, knowing she'd just have to brave the storm and hope she didn't wind up too worse for wear. Reaching for her coat she suffered a brief moment of panic when it wasn't there, only to remember she had left it at home in her rush to leave the house.

"This is just perfect!" she wailed, her eyes once more sliding to the raging storm outside.

"Ma'am? We're closing now." Katara turned to see a bored looking man standing behind her, his gaze traveling from her to the clock and back again.

"I-I know. Sorry, I'll get out of your hair," she muttered, turning on her heel and tromping towards the door.

"Stay dry," the man called after her and Katara thought she caught a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Jerk," she grumbled, refusing to turn around and acknowledge his comment. Opening the door she was immediately met with a cold rush of wind that sprayed her with frigid water and sending her body into compulsive shivers. Gritting her teeth she plowed into the storm, keeping her head down and wrapping her arms around herself, trying to keep in any bit of warmth she could. She could feel her teeth beginning to chatter and her cheeks were already feeling numb from the freezing wind. She was soaked through within seconds.

Normally Katara loved being outside in thunderstorms, relishing the feel of the water trickling down her face and the wind dancing with her hair and clothes. This however, was nothing like those pleasant summer storms; this might as well have been a full blown hurricane.

Night had already fallen and that added on top of everything else made it nearly impossible to see anything that wasn't directly in front of her face. Glancing up she shielded her eyes with one numb hand, trying to get her bearings on where she was. She could just make out the foggy shape of a blurred building about fifteen yards away, soft lights emanating from the upper windows. Squinting her eyes against the rain, she could see the sign above the door reading: The Jasmine Dragon. So she was near the tea shop…great, just four more blocks to go.

……………

Zuko winced as another crash of thunder rolled across the sky, reverberating through the tea shop and causing the cups and saucers to rattle and shake. The rest of the day since his conversation with Zhao had passed by unbearably slowly, his mind in a distracted haze the entire time. He couldn't stop thinking about his encounter with the man, his brain buzzing with unanswered questions. What information did he have and why did his father sent Zhao personally? Why not let one of the lower ranking members bring a message? The fire district wasn't exactly close and it certainly was unlike Zhao to travel so far a distance just to help Zuko out. It wasn't just unlikely, it was down right unheard of and the teen knew there had to be something else going on behind the scenes that he didn't know about.

"Zuko!" his uncle's voice cut into his thoughts and the boy suppressed a growl of frustration, turning sharply on the older man.

"What?"

"Can you take out the trash for me please? These old bones don't like to be about in thunderstorms," Iroh said to him. Zuko narrowed his eyes.

"Wha… That's not true Uncle! You just don't-I'm not going to…fine," he mumbled, earning him a large grin from the older man.

"What a kind nephew I have," he said before heading back behind the counter, humming happily to himself. Zuko shook his head, refusing to take his irritation at Zhao out on his uncle. Reaching under the counter Zuko grabbed the three smelly trash bags they had stored there, his nose crinkling and his lips folding into a disgusted grimace as he realized one was quite plainly leaking.

"Uncle I need another trash bag!" he shouted over another crash of thunder. Iroh grunted in response and opened one of the counter's many drawers, pulling out a roll of fresh trash bags and tossing them over to his nephew. Zuko caught them easily and yanked out a new bag, wasting no time wrapping it around the dripping stink bomb and firmly securing the top in a tight knot. Hoisting the bags over his shoulder he made his way to the door, ignoring his uncle's advice to grab a jacket before advancing into the storm.

The dumpsters were located behind the store and Zuko ran headlong into the wind, wanting to get this dismal task over with as soon as possible. He threw the trash bags into the large brown containers and heard the satisfactory thwack sound they made upon hitting the bottom. Slamming the lid on top of them he hurried back to the tea shop, anxious to return to the Dragon's inviting warmth when something caught his eye. It was a girl making her way down the block, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her head bowed against the raging wind, long brown hair flying in all directions. She seemed familiar and it took him a second before he recognized her as the girl he had crashed into that morning.

A funny feeling sank into his stomach as he remembered how close his face had been to hers only a couple of hours ago and how astonishingly beautiful her startled ocean blue eyes had been. Pushing those stupid thoughts out of his head he couldn't help but wonder what in the world she was doing out in this kind of weather at this hour of the evening when she suddenly tripped and fell, crashing headfirst into the pavement.

Zuko wasn't exactly sure what happened to his legs because he definitely had not told them to move in any direction at all save back towards the Jasmine Dragon. Now for whatever reason, he suddenly found them taking him towards the fallen girl and at a strangely rapid rate. It wasn't until he was right next to her that he realized he had no idea what to say. Her eyes slowly rose to meet his and he saw a spark of recognition there, the girl clearly recognizing him from that morning as well. She rapidly got to her feet, clenching her fists down by her sides and glaring at him, clearly trying to appear unfazed yet Zuko could see her shivering in the cold, her lips already turning slightly purple.

"What are you doing?!" the boy found himself blurting out before he could stop himself. The girl scowled.

"I'm g-going home," she replied, her teeth chattering so much she could barely get the words out.

"You're walking? In this weather?" he stated in disbelief, regarding the girl with a clearly dumbfounded expression. She however, was having none of his attitude.

"Yes I'm walking. Now if you wouldn't mind getting out of my way I'd really like to get home before I catch hypothermia!" she snapped, marching forward and shoving past him. Zuko watched her stomp away before his traitorous mouth opened itself again.

"Wait, hold on a second. At least let me give you an umbrella or something," he said to her. The girl turned, unable to hide her expression of genuine surprise at his words. Finally however, her mouth curved into the slightest of smiles.

"Thanks for the offer but at this point, I can't see an umbrella making much difference," she said to him, holding her arms out as though to emphasize her point. She was indeed soaking wet. Zuko stood baffled for a second, unable to think of anything else to say. She had a point but it still seemed wrong somehow to just let her continue on her way without doing anything. Rolling his eyes he grabbed her arm and pulled her after him, unable to believe he was actually doing this. He barely knew this girl! What obligation did he owe her? He had no reason to show her kindness, no reason to help her out. Even so…

"Wait, hold on! Where are you taking me?" she asked, trying and failing to pull out of his grip. He turned to look at her again, exasperation in his eyes.

"Just come on, I'm not going to attack you alright," he replied, his words coming out a little harsher than he'd meant them to. She frowned, studying his face for a moment before finally sighing in defeat.

"Alright fine; but only because I want to get out of this storm!" she stated. He nodded once, not particularly caring that her answer hadn't been exactly friendly as long as it got her out of the nasty weather. "…You can let go of my arm now." Zuko stopped in his tracks, dropping her arm like it had burned him.

"Sorry," he muttered before continuing towards the tea shop's welcoming front door. At this point he too had gotten himself soaked to the bone and he knew his uncle would be wondering if he'd gotten himself lost in the dumpster. Opening the door he stepped inside, the Dragon's warmth rushing around him like a hot bath.

"There you are Zuko! What in the world were you…" Iroh trailed off as the girl stepped into the shelter of the tea shop, looking ten times worse for wear than his nephew. The older man's face broke into a smile, anxious to hear the story of how his sullen, moody nephew had managed to return with such a lovely young lady. "Who might this be?" he asked, setting down the dishrag in his hand and fixing Zuko with a curious look. His nephew appeared a tad bit sheepish as he glanced down at the girl standing dripping wet beside him.

"Uh…this is…"

"Katara," the girl said, shooting Zuko a bemused look. "I'm one of Zuko's classmates." The young man stared at her, wondering how in the world she knew his name without having ever introduced himself. Reading his expression she grinned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Your name was on that paper you dropped," she said to him.

"Oh…" was his only reply. He stood awkwardly for a moment before turning back to Iroh. "I'll be right back," he muttered before slipping off his soaking wet shoes and hurrying up the back staircase, leaving Katara and Iroh alone. Once on the second floor he vanished into his bedroom and closed the door behind him, immediately stripping off his wet clothes and pulling warmer, dryer ones from his chest of drawers.

After slipping them on he stepped out of his bedroom and into the bathroom he shared with his uncle, grabbing a towel off the rack and draping it over his shoulders before returning to his room and opening his closet door. He scanned his eyes over the various jackets and sweatshirts hanging up there, looking for one that wouldn't be an absolute circus tent on her.

Rummaging through them, he finally pulled out an old black windbreaker that had gotten to be a little on the small side but would still be rather loose on Katara. Regardless it would keep her a lot warmer and dryer than she had been before.

Setting the jacket down, he grabbed the towel from around his shoulders and scrubbed it through his hair, making the dark strands appear even more disheveled than usual before once again picking up the coat and heading down the steps. It was only when he'd reached the bottom of the stairwell that he thought Katara may have wanted a towel as well.

He needn't have worried for when he rounded the corner to where his uncle and classmate were standing he saw that the girl already had a fluffy white towel draped across her shoulders. She and Iroh were talking quietly and she burst into laughter as he approached, clearly quite amused at something his uncle had said to her. Refusing to ask what they'd been talking about Zuko marched up to Katara and shoved the jacket into her arms.

"Here wear this, it should help to keep you dry," he said to her. "I'll get you an umbrella." Katara blinked, looking from him to the jacket in her hand and then back to him.

"Thank you," she finally spluttered. Iroh however, was frowning.

"Zuko, don't you think you should escort this young lady home? It is not safe for someone of her age to be walking alone in the dark, especially in the midst of a storm such as this," he said to him. Zuko glared at his uncle, momentarily hating him for causing this awkward situation he now found himself in. Zhao was going to be there any minute and he didn't have time to leave for however long it took Katara to get home. The information the man had was bound to be important and he wasn't about to blow a chance at the first potential break through he'd had since coming to this place. Katara, obviously sensing his reluctance, backed away, smiling apologetically.

"No, don't worry about it. I walk home by myself all the time! Really, it's okay!" she protested. Iroh waved his hand, brushing her comment aside.

"No, we insist. Zuko would be happy to drive you home, wouldn't you Zuko?" he pressed, giving his nephew a meaningful stare. Zuko opened his mouth to protest before closing it again, trying to find a way out of this situation.

"I'm expecting someone uncle. I have to be here when he arrives," he murmured. Iroh's eyes narrowed and his lips folded downward into a small frown.

"He will wait for you to come back. I will see to that," he replied firmly. Katara bit her lip feeling horribly awkward and unwanted. She hadn't asked to come to this place, she hadn't asked to be taken care of, and she definitely had had no intention of getting a lift home with the very boy who she had been so unbelievably irritated with that same morning.

"It's okay! Look, I'm just going to head out now. Thank you for the offer but really, I'll be fine. I appreciate your help," she stated before turning and walking away before either one could respond. Opening the door she took three steps into the storm before remembering she was still gripping Zuko's jacket in her arms. It would be more than a little bit embarrassing to go back in there, drop off the coat, and then promptly leave again. Huffing in amused exasperation she decided she may as well make the make use of it.

Slipping it around her shoulders she was immediately ten times warmer than she had been previously. The wind didn't have nearly as much affect on her and the raindrops simply rolled off the coat before dripping onto the ground. Breathing in she couldn't help but notice how nice the jacket smelled, the faint scent of Zuko's cologne still lingering on the material. Shaking her head Katara snapped herself out of it, knowing she had better get home soon before her father or Sokka called the police.

The sound of a car door slamming somewhere close by reached her ears and she glanced up, peering through the rain to see the dark silhouette of a figure moving towards her. Upon closer inspection she realized it was a man with very imposing features, his eyes sharp and dangerous looking, his mouth set in an irritated scowl.

He barely looked at her as she passed him, his eyes flicking to her momentarily before snapping back onto the front door. She was glad he hadn't spoken for something about this guy screamed danger. The girl paused and watched him walk into the tea shop, letting the door slam shut behind him and disappearing from her view. Could this be the man Zuko had been waiting for? If so she couldn't imagine what kind of business someone her age had with a man like that. Deciding it wasn't her concern she once more plodded forward, determining she would return Zuko's jacket to him the first chance she got. She definitely didn't want to keep it too long in case he had some need for it and she didn't like the way her heart pounded in her chest whenever she breathed in it's alluring scent.

Katara sighed, staring forward into the rain. She had noticed his scar this time. It was there, plain as day, just like Suki had said. How in the world had she missed it before? For some reason her mind went a little funny whenever she was around him. Lightening flashed overhead and she winced, outwardly flinching and quickening her pace. Maybe she should have let Zuko walk her home after all…

……………

**Hey everyone! Just a general comment to anyone reading this, please review it with your suggestions and ideas, thoughts and feelings, things you liked or disliked about it. Your comments are what keep me writing this story so please if you read it, leave a review! Thank you so much. Question: Were Zuko and Katara in character for that storm part? Was it OOC of Zuko to help Katara like that?? I wasn't sure…please let me know! Thanks so much!**

**~Phoenix**


	4. A Breakthrough

**A/N: Big thank you to FooFooCuddlyPoops for Katara and Sokka's last name Kuruk. Thanks so much!! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you keep me writing. Enjoy!**

Katara trudged up her driveway, unable to think of a time when she'd been happier to see the blue paint of her house or the warm welcoming lights emanating through the windows. Pushing open the door she stumbled inside, incredibly relieved to finally be home. Slipping off her shoes she stepped out of the entryway and into her living room, standing on her tiptoes to avoid dragging her sopping jeans across the floor. So set was she on getting to her room and out of her wet clothes that she didn't notice the two extra pairs of shoes sitting in front of the door.

"Katara? Is that you?" Her father's voice carried up from the basement and she paused, knowing she should probably go down and talk to him but really wanting to change out of her wet things.

"Yes!" she called back, taking three more steps to her room.

"Come here for a minute." The girl sighed, turning and heading towards the stairs, wiping away an annoying drip currently dribbling down the back of her neck.

"What is it fath-…" she started but stopped mid-sentence when she saw the smaller, brown haired boy who was standing next to him. Her face broke into a huge smile and she temporarily forgot all about how water logged she was.

"Aang!" she exclaimed, racing forward and jumping onto the younger boy who hugged her back just as fiercely, his whole face glowing. After a moment they pulled apart and he fixed her with an accusing look.

"You're all wet!" he accused, raising his eyebrows as he took in her muddy appearance and the small puddle slowly accumulating at her feet. Katara grinned sheepishly.

"I know, sorry… But forget about that! What are you doing here?" she asked. Hakoda gave his daughter a wry smile, cutting off Aang before he could respond.

"Slow down Katara, you'll catch your death of cold standing around in those clothes. Aang isn't going anywhere soon and neither is Gyatso, who I notice you still have yet to welcome," he gently chided. Katara flushed and turned to the other man who had been standing and watching her this whole time, an amused smile on his lips.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Welcome!" she spluttered. Gyatso laughed, the smile lines at the end of his eyes crinkling.

"That's quite alright Katara," he replied, letting the apology roll off him. Hakoda smiled at her.

"Why don't you go and clean yourself up before coming back down here. We have some very important things we need to talk about," he told her. Katara nodded and turned to excuse herself when her father spoke up again. "Where did that jacket come from? It doesn't look like something Suki would wear," he asked curiously. The girl froze, trying to find the words to explain what had happened between the time she left the library and arrived at home.

"I…ran into a classmate from school while I was walking back here. I'd forgotten my coat so he let me borrow his," she responded, giving Hakoda a winning smile before hurrying up the steps. She'd completely forgotten she was still wearing Zuko's jacket. It shouldn't be such a big deal so why did she feel like she had to hide it? Zuko was from the fire district and because of that her father may have been upset by the fact that she'd willingly gone with him, even if it was to get out of the storm.

The young man and his uncle had seemed like decent enough people even though she didn't know them very well. Yet even as this thought slid through her mind the image of the man she had passed on her way out of the tea shop flashed through her head and a shiver ran down her spine. His eyes had been so cold, his features so hard and uncaring… Katara couldn't help but wonder if that man truly was the person Zuko had been waiting for, what on earth they had to talk about.

………………

Zuko stared at Zhao, not bothering to keep the shock out of his voice when he stammered:

"You found a member of the white lotus? Who? Where can I find him?" he demanded, his fists clenching, heart pounding against his ribcage. The smirk on Zhao's face proved how much he was enjoying this: watching the younger man nearly beg him for the information he alone possessed; that he alone had the power to give.

"It's not that simple. We do not know the white lotus member personally, we only know of a woman who has seen him and who could identify him to us if she so chose," he answered smoothly.

"Where can I find her?" Zuko asked, trying to keep his raging impatience at bay.

"Calm down. This is not a simple matter of going to some old hag's house and inviting yourself to tea. She is a renowned criminal, currently being held under severe guard in the water district's prison," Zhao explained, his tone bored and disinterested. The young man narrowed his eyes, a small sense of unease slowly beginning to stir within him.

"What did this woman do? Just how dangerous is she?" he asked, carefully studying Zhao's features as the other man shrugged.

"Her name is Hama. Apparently she was an expert potion maker, able to whip up concoctions that were lethal if devoured by a human. She used to be the owner of some small inn located near the Northern part of the water district. Ozai found out about her talents and talked her into using her unique abilities for his benefit. Eventually she was found out by a member of the White Lotus, attacking him when he went to turn her in. By an extreme stroke of luck she managed to find out his identity before she was overpowered and arrested. Fortunately for us, she has yet to reveal Ozai as the one behind the recent attacks on the separate districts. These people are much kinder to their prisoners than we are; torture is not used as a method of collecting information no matter how well it might work. Even so, haste is a necessity," Zhao finished, his cold eyes meeting Zuko's.

"And my mission…" the boy murmured, letting the question trail off. Zhao sneered, and shook his head.

"At this point I think it should be obvious. You are to infiltrate the water district's prison, retrieve this potion master, and bring her to me," he answered. Zuko took a deep breath, his veins tingling with excitement and apprehension all at once.

"When does father expect me to act?" he inquired. Zhao crossed his arms over his chest, pondering the question.

"He expects the job to be done as soon as possible. I would give you two days, one to learn the layout of the prison, and the next to accomplish your mission," he answered though Zuko barely heard him, his head already swimming with ideas of how he was going to complete this task. Zhao looked at him and snorted.

"It is my hope that you succeed… I would hate to have nothing but failure to report to your father. Ozai is not a forgiving man though of course you're already aware. That disgusting scar on your face proves my point better than any spoken evidence." Zuko's eyes flashed and he suddenly leapt forward, hand curling into a fist, ready to slam it into Zhao's smug face.

"Zuko!" Iroh's voice pierced through the young man's anger yet was still not enough to stop him. Throwing his fist forward he let out a furious snarl, planning on smashing the perpetrator's face into a thousand tiny pieces. Zhao however, stepped to the side, calmly letting his hand take the impact as he caught Zuko's fist in his open palm. Chuckling to himself he pushed the boy back, patiently assessing his next move.

Zuko glared at him, knowing he was being underestimated. This would be the last time Zhao made that mistake. Feinting left he brought his hand swinging around in a lethal right hook. As he predicted, Zhao raised a hand to block it and in the split second when his guard was down, Zuko brought his left elbow up, slamming it into the side of the man's face. Zhao grunted in pain, stumbling back a few feet yet Zuko was far from finished.

Following up on his advantage he pulled his fist back and let it fly, slamming it into his victim's nose with the force of a stampeding elephant. There was a sickening crack and blood fountained from the man's nostrils, spraying all over the floor. Zhao looked absolutely livid, his eyes thundering, shoulder's heaving, crimson liquid streaming down his face.

"I'm going to kill you, you little bastard!" he bellowed, reaching to his belt and pulling a gun from its holster. With his finger on the trigger he pointed it at Zuko, murder in his eyes.

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Iroh's roar rang through the air, the old man's usually kind eyes reduced into two dangerous slits. "Zhao put the weapon down! Zuko, apologize to this man!" he ordered.

"But...!"

"NOW!" Zuko faltered, almost more intimidated by the sight of his furious uncle than the gun aimed at his chest. Gritting his teeth he turned to the older man.

"I'm sorry," he hissed, the words leaving an acrid taste in his mouth. Zhao's face remained stony, his eyes two pools of rage, the blood flow from his nose still dripping onto his already soaked shirt. Slowly but surely he lowered the weapon finally putting it into its holster and turning to Iroh.

"Once he completes his task have him contact Jee. We'll be sure to take it from there," he said. Iroh nodded.

"I will make sure he does." Zhao grunted before turning back to Zuko. He opened his mouth to say something before thinking better of it and turning smartly on his heel, exiting the Jasmine Dragon and slamming the door behind him. Zuko bit his lip, feeling more than a little ashamed of himself for losing his temper so badly.

"Uncle I…" but he didn't get to finish his sentence as Iroh rounded on him.

"Zuko I've told you how important it is to keep your temper in the presence of that man! He is dangerous and not to be taken lightly!" he bellowed. Zuko scowled, taken aback by his uncle's blatant anger. Iroh was not one to lose his temper and to see him so frazzled was a rare sight indeed. Zuko however, refused to back down even if he was in the wrong.

"It's not like I had a choice! I was defending myself" he snapped.

"With your fists?!" Iroh countered, his eyes blazing.

"He deserved it! Did you hear what he said, uncle!?" Zuko raged.

"You should have let it go!"

"I couldn't just stand by and let him address me that way!"

"The wise thing to do would have been-…" but Zuko was nearing breaking point and refused to let his uncle finish.

"Why are you yelling at me? Isn't it always you telling me to keep calm? That I should let my mind and not my anger make my decisions for me? Stop acting like such a hypocrite, it's not like anything happ-…"

"HE WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU ZUKO!" The silence that rang out after this comment was nearly louder than their yelling had been. "The weapon he was pointing at you was not a toy." Iroh's words were more subdued yet Zuko could sense the held back emotion dwelling in them. He didn't know how to respond and he could feel his temper slowly rising, once more nearing the point of explosion. He needed to get out of the tea shop before that happened again. Silently fuming he turned and stormed away; exiting through the same door Zhao had mere minutes earlier.

The rain was still pouring down in sheets, though it had lightened considerably since his run in with Katara. A twinge of pain in his right hand caught his attention and he looked down to see small streams of blood from his split knuckles mixing with the drops of rain trickling down his arm. No doubt this had happened when his clenched fist had made contact with Zhao's nose.

Frustrated he glared up at the sky, allowing the raindrops to land coolly on his face and drizzle down his cheeks, nose, and chin before dropping to the ground. He knew he shouldn't have thrown the first punch and he never should have yelled at his uncle but… But what? What was his excuse this time? He was angry? He was confused? He didn't even know his own emotions anymore and it was driving him crazy. His father wanted him to break this mad woman out of jail and he would do it, anything to make Ozai respect him. Despite this fact, an annoying little voice in the back of his head kept pestering him that it wasn't the best idea to unleash someone like Hama on the world again.

Taking a deep breath Zuko sat down on the wet ground, ignoring the water seeping into his clothing for the second time that day, and slowly just began to breathe. Closing his eyes he let the familiar mantra take over his senses. In…out…in…out…

The water was calming on his face, weaving between the strands of his hair, racing down his face and pooling into the palms of his hands. It cooled off his raging temper, letting the poor memories of that evening slip away with the rain, dribbling down the pavement and out of his sight.

He would need to have a calm mind if he was going to successfully break the woman out of prison. He could not allow for distractions.

…………

Katara slid out of her wet clothes, letting them drop to the ground before stepping over the neat pile they made and opening her closet door. Shifting through the various sweaters, jeans, and tank tops she had hanging up, the girl finally decided on a sky blue tee shirt with the word 'dance' scrawled across it in flowing cursive letters. She had been dancing since she was a young girl and there was not much she loved more than losing herself in the movements and music.

Pulling on a fresh pair of gray sweatpants she stepped out of her room and into the bathroom, picking up her brush and running it through her long, tangled locks. What in the world were Aang and Gyatso doing here? It wasn't that she wasn't happy to see them, far from it, but they never showed up unannounced. The whole thing was just downright weird. And speaking of weird, she hadn't seen Sokka yet though his car had been in the driveway. There was no way he couldn't know Aang and Gyatso were here so where in the world was he?

Weaving her hair into a heavy braid, she stepped out of the bathroom and headed towards the basement, passing by Sokka's bedroom on the way. She was surprised to see his door shut though a soft light glowing through the crack proved he was inside. Hesitating she paused, not wanting to keep the three downstairs waiting but she couldn't ignore her older brother's unusual behavior. Hoping her father wouldn't be irritated with the extra couple of minutes she was taking, the girl quietly knocked on the door.

"Sokka, can I come in? It's Katara." A muffled grunt was her reply and she took it to mean yes. Opening the door she stepped inside, her eyes immediately going to where Sokka was slumped on the bed, his eyes unfocused and staring out the window.

"What's wrong with you? You look terrible," Katara said to him, sitting on the end of the mattress. Sokka looked at her, his mouth twitching into the slightest of smiles.

"And you look like something the cat dragged in. Decide to jump in a swimming pool on the way home?" he asked. Katara rolled her eyes, refusing to let him know she was more than a little relieved that whatever was bothering him hadn't affected his sarcastic attitude.

"No I didn't. What are you doing up here? You know Aang and Gyatso are downstairs right?" she asked. Sokka nodded.

"Yeah I know." There was a pause before he sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and grinning at her. "Well come on, what are you waiting for? Let's go give Aang the old Kuruk family welcome!" he said to her. Katara frowned, giving her brother a searching look.

"Sokka, you don't have to pretend that nothing's bothering you. I'm not blind, I can tell when you're upset," she told him bluntly, crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest. Sokka's grin widened.

"Katara come on, am I ever upset?" Said sister rolled her eyes, losing patience quickly.

"Yes, like now!" she retorted. Sokka's eyes met her own for the briefest of moments before he looked away, throwing the door open and shouting:

"Last one downstairs has to clean Dad's dirty socks!" The boy dashed away before Katara could respond, leaving her stranded in his room.

"Sokka wait, you idiot!" the girl shouted but his footsteps had faded, proving he was already downstairs. Letting out a growl of frustration she followed in her brother's wake, momentarily hating his incredibly frustrating stubborn streak. They were family and therefore it was part of the job description to support each other. Shaking her head, Katara tromped down the stairs, rapidly replacing her worried frown with a smile.

Sokka had clearly won the race and now stood with one arm slung over Aang's shoulder, a smug smile on his face and a bottle of laundry detergent in his hand.

"I believe you'll be needing this," he told her matter of factly. Katara rolled her eyes and swatted the bottle away while Aang laughed, Gyatso and Hakoda looking on in amusement.

"So what are you doing here?" Sokka asked when their laughter had died away. Silence followed his remark and Katara caught her father and Gyatso exchange a wary look. Aang too she noticed, shifted his weight uncomfortably, staring expectantly at his guardian. Gyatso smiled, crossing his fingers over his chest before addressing them.

"Katara, Sokka…perhaps you should sit down."

………

**Well there you go. Please please review! I probably wont have an update up until next week because I have college auditions but thank you so much for your reviews. Please continue to give me your thoughts and opinions!!!!! **


	5. Discussion

**Alright here's chapter 5 for you all, sorry it took so long. Enjoy!**

The siblings blinked, staring blankly at Gyatso before looking at each other, identical expressions of bewilderment on their faces. Not sure what else to do they sat down, looking from one adult to the other. Aang perched himself next to Katara on the sofa's armrest, his eyes sliding back and forth between her and Gyatso. The older man turned to Hakoda, his expression as calm as ever.

"This is your story to tell," he said simply before stepping back, ignoring the cushioned armchair beside him and instead remaining on his feet. Katara stared at her father, confused and a little unnerved by what was going on. First Aang and Gyatso show up out of the blue and then her father suddenly has something clearly important to talk to them about. Why did she have the feeling that, after this conversation took place, her life would be even less normal than it already was? The idea scared her a little and she unconsciously found herself scooting closer to her brother, knowing he must be feeling about the same way she was.

Hakoda let a breath of air whoosh from his lungs and he gave his children a small smile, clearly trying to think through how he was going to start whatever it was he had to say.

"Sokka, Katara, I know this must be a little on the strange side for you, what with Aang and Gyatso suddenly showing up," he began. Sokka raised his eyebrows.

"No dad, this is completely normal," he jibed, wincing as Katara nailed him in the ribs with a well aimed elbow. Hakoda chuckled before his face sobered up and he continued.

"This is something that I've wanted to talk to you about for a very long time now though I never knew quite how to say it. Every time the thought crossed my mind I would shake my head, saying I would tell you when you were older. Well now you're older and I can't make excuses anymore. You're not deaf, I'm sure you've heard about some of the mysterious events taking place in the four districts lately…" Katara nodded, her mind wandering to the stories she had heard about people disappearing from various districts, generally those who had influence on the way said districts were run. Strange threatening messages were appearing on alley walls and, on top of all that, the crime rate had risen drastically in the past couple of months. Whether or not the two things were connected however, was still up in the air. Before she could reflect any more on the situation her father continued to speak.

"There have been a handful of men and women outside of the police force looking into these issues, trying to peg their source. They belong to a group that works in secret to protect the peace between the four districts, ensuring that violence does not break out between us. I am a member of that group along with Gyatso here. We call ourselves the White Lotus…" he trailed off, looking expectantly into his children's faces. Katara frowned, still a little confused about this whole situation. Her father was some kind of FBI agent?

"So you mean to tell us that all these years you have been a part of some secret organization between the four districts? How could we not have known about this?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah!" Sokka chimed in. "I mean, no offense Dad but you're not the most subtle person around…" Hakoda gave his son a pointed look before turning to Katara.

"It was very difficult, especially seeing how sharp you are," he ignored Sokka's muffled snicker and pressed on. "You know all of those meetings I'm forever disappearing off to? Well for starters, they weren't all work related," he answered. Katara's brow furrowed.

"But you're a doctor! You're always ridiculously busy anyway! How on earth did you find time to…well…do whatever it is you do with the lotus?" she inquired. Hakoda shrugged.

"Late night 'shifts'," he told her, making quotation marks with his fingers.

"Okay but why tell us now? Why not keep your secret lotus identity thing, well, secret?" Sokka asked. Hakoda sighed and slumped against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because there has never been reason why this should affect you before. To be completely honest, you were safer not knowing. Now unfortunately, things are getting dangerous," he murmured.

"Dangerous how?" Sokka questioned, raising an eyebrow. Gyatso stepped forward, speaking for the first time.

"Rumors have begun to circulate about uprisings in the fire district. Apparently there is internal discord between the people there and Ozai, the districts leader. It appears that the man has not done much to look into these issues," he told them quietly. Katara nodded.

"Okay but how does something like that affect you Dad? Didn't you say there were members from all four districts? Doesn't that mean those from the fire district would be able to take care of it?" she asked. Hakoda sighed, his brows furrowing.

"Normally yes, that would be the case. However the White Lotus is not a huge group as such things are hard to keep secret. Each district only has two or three members and if it becomes clear that their numbers are not enough to take care of the problem then the other members become involved," he answered. A silence followed his words, Katara and Sokka still trying to wrap their brains around what they had just learned. Finally Katara spoke up.

"Then does that mean you're going to the fire district Dad?" she asked quietly. Hakoda hesitated before turning to Sokka.

"Aang will be staying with us for awhile; he plans on attending school with you two and will start tomorrow. We've already taken care of the paperwork," the man said. Katara narrowed her eyes noticing how quickly Hakoda had changed the subject. Before she could voice her concerns however, Sokka spoke up.

"It sounds like you've been planning this for a long time now. Not that I have a problem with it but why's Aang staying with us? Where's Gyatso going?" he inquired. Katara blinked. That was actually a good question.

"I have a couple of things I need to take care of. I'm trusting Aang to your good company," the old man told them.

"Of course," Hakoda said with a smile. "Katara, Sokka; could you take Aang upstairs and get him situated in the guest room?" The two hesitated but agreed, getting up off the couch and beckoning for the shorter boy to follow them.

Katara let the other two go ahead of her before turning back to her father and Gyatso. She had so much she wanted to ask them, so much she didn't know. Unfortunately now wasn't the time to talk about it, this made apparent by the look in Hakoda's eye.

"Later Katara," he murmured, answering her unasked question. Sighing she turned away, hurrying up the steps and after the boys. Hakoda waited until he heard his daughter's footsteps fade before speaking.

"You have heard about Hama's imprisonment correct?" he asked the other man, massaging his forehead with his fingertips, trying to rid himself of the creeping headache he could feel coming on. Gyatso nodded.

"Yes, Bato informed me a couple weeks back," he answered. Hakoda glanced up, his eyes meeting the others.

"She saw my face Gyatso, right before she was arrested. If any of the people she was working with makes contact with her she could give them an accurate description of me. I'm putting us all in danger," he murmured. Gyatso rubbed his chin, clearly pondering the issue.

"Are you going to leave Katara and Sokka?" he asked. Hakoda sighed.

"I don't have much choice do I? They're in danger as long as I'm here with them. I've thought it through. Mother will come and stay with them while I'm away and Aang will be here too. That boy brings out their smiles and they've desperately needed that since their mother…" he trailed off and Gyatso placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"When are you going to tell them?" he asked. The other man huffed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I leave tomorrow morning so I'll tell them tonight, now in fact," he answered.

"You have told them much already. Perhaps it would be better to postpone your plans and give them tonight to swallow the information they have already received," Gyatso suggested. Hakoda shook his head.

"I refuse to put my children in danger for a second longer than I have to. As soon as mother arrives tomorrow I'm going to the fire district to meet up with Jeong Jeong and Piandao. There's only one place I have to stop by on the way," he murmured. Gyatso gave him a fixed look.

"Hama is secure Hakoda. I would not worry so much," he said. Hakoda turned to him.

"I'm going tomorrow night to confirm that."

……………

"Wow this is so great!" Aang exclaimed, spreading out his arms and flopping backwards onto the twin bed behind him.

"What's great?" Katara asked, her mind still swimming with everything her father had told her.

"That I get to stay with you guys for awhile! It's going to be awesome!" Aang cheered, pumping his fists into the air. Katara sat down on the bed next to him and smiled, the boy's energy contagious. Sokka was leaning against a wall, arms folded across his chest, his face unusually serious.

"Aang, how long have you known about the lotus?" he asked, turning his head in their direction. Aang sat up and shrugged.

"A long time now. Gyatso told me about it awhile ago. I even help them out sometimes!" he added, his face breaking into a smile. Sokka's jaw dropped.

"What!? They send you on dangerous missions!? Those enemies or whoever Dad was talking about must be a lot less of a threat than we thought! I mean Aang's not exactly intimidating, look at the size of his ears!" the older boy exclaimed. Aang pouted and threw a pillow at Sokka, hitting him directly in the face.

"Frankly Sokka, I'm not surprised Dad didn't tell you," Katara remarked, raising an amused eyebrow. Her brother rounded on her.

"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" he snapped, his voice cracking.

"I think you know what it means," Aang retorted, laughing as he flopped back on the bed.

"That does it! Alright Aang you and me, right here, right now!" Sokka challenged, raising his fist and shaking it, eyes narrowed, lower lip protruding in a ridiculous scowl. Aang popped back up, leaping agilely to his feet.

"Okay!" he agreed, dropping into a crouched stance, hands reaching zombie-like towards Sokka. Katara laughed as her brother lifted one knee, raising his arms above his head and letting loose a ridiculous battle cry. Aang was about to unleash a howl of his own when the sound of a dog barking sailed through the slightly open window.

"Appa! I can't believe I forgot!" he exclaimed, smacking himself in the forehead and leaping off the bed.

"You cannot escape!" Sokka bellowed, any intimidation factor he might have possessed lost when his voice squeaked for a second time. Aang ducked under the other boy's wild grab and instead knocked his legs out from under him, Sokka unleashing a startled yelp when he hit the ground.

Aang wasted no time hopping over his opponent's final attempted grab at victory and instead slipped out the doorway, his light steps disappearing down the hall. Katara smirked and walked over to where her brother was sprawled on the floor, mirth dancing in her eyes.

"I think your prey just escaped senor squeak," she told him, crossing her arms and raising an amused eyebrow. Sokka pushed himself up and pouted.

"I let him get away," he protested. Katara stifled a snort.

"Whatever you say…" The sound of barking reached a crescendo as Aang opened the front door, letting the animal inside the house.

"Come on Appa, let's go say hi to Katara and Sokka!" The footsteps drew closer and Sokka's eyes widened as the door flew open. Chaos ensued as he was suddenly bowled over by a giant mass of fur, drool, and dog breath.

"Ew! Dog kisses!" the boy groaned as the giant St. Bernard repeatedly licked his face, one huge paw placed firmly on his chest. "Aang, a little help here!" Sokka begged.

"Come on Appa, you haven't said hi to Katara yet!" Aang said to the dog. Appa reluctantly backed off Sokka while Katara grinned and ran her hands through the St. Bernard's thick mass of fur.

"You're all wet!" she said, raising her eyebrows.

"Really, didn't notice," Sokka muttered, wiping his sopping face on a shirt sleeve. Aang looked thoughtful.

"Katara can I borrow a hair dryer?" The girl laughed and was about to comply when there was a light knocking on the door.

"Come in!" she called. A moment later Hakoda stepped into the room, raising a single inquisitive brow when he saw the dripping wet dog panting happily in the middle of the floor. Aang grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry…Appa doesn't like to be alone," he explained. Hakoda smiled and shook his head.

"That's quite alright," he responded.

"What's up Dad?" Sokka asked curiously, scooting away from Appa as he did so, shooting the dog a wary look. The man hesitated, his eyes roving from Katara to Sokka, trying to find a way to tell them what he was planning on doing.

"Katara, Sokka, I'm-…"

"You're leaving aren't you?"

…………

**There is the much delayed chapter 5…Sorry that an update took so long. Part of it was being busy but part of it was pure laziness, not going to lie. Haha alright well please review with your thoughts, thank you so much!**

**~Phoenix**


	6. Conversations

**A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for sticking with me and this story so far, you're all very inspirational so thank you so much. Enjoy!**

………………

Hakoda looked at his daughter startled, but not in the least bit surprised that she had guessed.

"Yes."

"What!?" Sokka exploded, jumping to his feet, his face a picture of shock. "When? Why?" His father sighed, massaging his forehead with his fingers.

"Tomorrow morning. I think the reason should be obvious," he answered as evenly as he could.

"Tomorrow morning!" Sokka exclaimed, his eyes growing to the size of dinner plates. "As in tomorrow tomorrow? Like a couple hours from now tomorrow?!" he stuttered. Katara wasn't much calmer.

"So you just decide to drop this massively huge bomb on us and then up and leave!? This is so stupid Dad!" she cried, her hands balling into fists. Hakoda winced but stood his ground.

"I'm doing this to keep you safe, not because I want to. Believe me this is the last thing I want to do but right now your well being is my top priority. Please try to understand," he said. Sokka frowned and crossed his arms.

"What I don't understand is why this is an issue now. From what I hear, you've been a member of this group for awhile so how come Katara and I have never been in danger until now?" he asked stubbornly.

"Because circumstances were different in the past. I wish I could go into more detail but that's all I can say for now," their father responded.

"That's ridiculous!" Katara's outburst surprised everyone. She looked absolutely livid, her fists clenched, blue eyes flashing dangerously. "We're family; we're supposed to be able to trust each other! There aren't supposed to be secrets!" she snapped.

"Katara…" Sokka began, reaching out for her but she was having none of it. Whirling on her brother she swatted his hand away, glaring at him.

"You're no better than he is Sokka! You're keeping things from us too! Stop acting like everything is okay all the time! I know you aren't as happy as you pretend to be!" she yelled. Sokka looked at her a moment before saying quietly:

"Everyone has things that they'd rather not talk about. Even you…" Katara's eyes narrowed and she glowered at him before shoving past her father and storming out the door. Aang watched all this unfold feeling more than a little awkward. Clearly this was something the family needed to work out and he almost felt as though he'd witnessed something he had no business whimpered softly and Aang put a comforting hand on the big dog's head, wondering what in the world was going to happen now. Sokka turned to Hakoda, his eyes unusually serious for once.

"Listen Dad… I understand your need for secrecy and I'm not going to question that. Just, whatever you're doing, please be careful," he murmured. A gruff smile appeared on the man's lips as he acknowledged his son with a nod.

"Don't worry I'll be back before you know it. Look after your sister for me, keep her out of trouble," he said. Sokka's mouth twitched into the slightest ghost of a smile.

"I will."

……………

BEEP BEEP BEEP! Zuko groaned and lazily stuck a single arm out from beneath the comfort of his blankets, blindly swatting at things until his hand finally connected with the alarm clock. There was a loud crash as he knocked it off his bedside table, the annoying machine hitting the ground with a satisfactory crack before falling silent. Sitting up the teenager rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blinking blearily in the faint fays of sunlight issuing in from his bedroom window.

It had been another late night as he'd stayed up long into the wee hours of the morning, pouring over maps and any bit of useful information he could find regarding the water districts prison. He had decided to bust the woman out that night in order to make a point to Zhao. 'You'd probably need two days to prepare,' the man had said. Well Zuko was going to prove that he'd only need one.

Iroh had been against the idea but Zuko was determined and once the young man set his mind on something there was little anyone could do to make him think otherwise. Yet despite his plans for later that evening, school was still something he was being forced to attend and with that unpleasant thought in mind, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed himself off the mattress.

Opening his closet door he sifted through the various clothing articles, grabbing a shirt at random and yanking it off the hanger. It was a plain black tee with ghostly white skull patterns spaced across the front. Shrugging Zuko threw it on the bed before adding a pair of cargo pants and white socks to the pile.

Grabbing the clothes heap he stumbled into the bathroom, took a quick shower, got dressed, ran a comb through his hair, and plodded down the steps all within a period of ten minutes. Iroh had breakfast ready for him, a hot bowl of oatmeal and a pot of jasmine tea. The old man was wiping down counters when Zuko entered the room.

"Good morning nephew!" he said with a smile while the young man merely grunted in response. He would never understand how Iroh could always be so bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning no matter how little sleep he'd had the night before. The two ate in silence, Zuko's thoughts preoccupied with plans for that night.

He would leave the Dragon around 1:00 a.m, get to the prison, park some ways away before proceeding to bust this Hama woman out, hoping she wouldn't make escaping much more difficult. Even so it would be a miracle if everything went as smoothly as it did running through his head.

Excusing himself from the table, Zuko rinsed out his dirty dishes and set them in the dishwasher before grabbing his backpack and heading out the door. He was avoiding as much conversation with his uncle as possible, not wanting the man to talk him out of going to the jail that night. His mind was made up and he refused to let anyone change it.

Backing his car out from the side of the shop he turned the wheel and headed off towards school. This day was promising to be even worse than the one before as he'd done none of his homework assignments and was bound to get an earful from his teachers. Not that he really cared all that much. Unlike most of the kids his age, school was not his first priority.

Zuko had checked the forecast the previous evening and it was looking to be a beautiful day with clear skies and no rain. It was just his good luck that the moon was waning and would only be a small sliver in the sky that night. If the weather really did turn out to be as nice as predicted, there wouldn't be many clouds in the sky to cover up the pearly moonlight. He almost found himself wishing that the storm of last night would have waited just one more day in order to better cover his escape. Oh well, it couldn't be helped and the wet ground would have made things slippery anyway.

Taking a left at the next intersection he saw the school come into view and inwardly groaned, wishing he could slam on the breaks and go back the way he'd came. Willing his arms to turn the wheel he drove into the parking lot before pulling into a vacant spot near the back corner and switching the car off. It almost took more effort to step out of the vehicle than it had to get out of bed that morning.

The parking lot was alive with students heading from their cars to the building, calling out to each other and waving friendly hellos in the process. Zuko kept his head down, avoiding eye contact with any of them. Despite the fact that he had been there for three weeks already he still was frequently stared at by them as though he was some kind of crazed animal that had just sprouted an extra foot. Aside from the strange looks, the other students had a tendency to steer clear of him and he had every intention of keeping it that way.

Stepping into the building the boy made a beeline for his locker, wanting to rid himself of the heavy textbooks taking up space in his backpack. After depositing said books onto the highest shelf he shut the locker and turned, nearly suffering a heart attack when he saw a girl staring at him standing only a foot away. His heart beat returned to normal when he recognized Katara, the girl from the other day, though she looked none too pleased to see him.

"I have your jacket," she stated bluntly, holding out the black wind breaker and nearly shoving it into his arms.

"O-okay…" Zuko replied, caught off guard by her short tempered behavior. Was she really that mad at him for not giving her a ride the night before? He supposed he had been kind of rude but even so… Taking the jacket back he reopened his locker, threw it in, and closed it, surprised to see her still standing there. "Can I help you with something?" he asked impatiently, kind of in a hurry to get to his next class in order to avoid as many people as he could. Katara blinked and shook her head.

"What? Oh no sorry, guess I kind of spaced out," she replied and Zuko noticed a flash of hurt shine in her eyes for a second before she blinked again and it was gone. "I'll see you in history," she murmured.

"What?" Zuko asked, raising his eyebrows at her. A small smirk found itself to the girl's lips.

"You're in my history class. You know first hour? I sit behind you…" she prompted. Zuko wracked his brains only to find that he had no recollection of what Katara was saying to him. Maybe he really should start paying more attention to his surroundings…

"History…yeah of course," he replied, trying to brush the moment off like it was nothing. The girl rolled her eyes though not before a genuine smile had flickered over her lips.

"You're not very observant are you?" she asked. Zuko scowled.

"Yes I-…" but Katara's laugh cut him off and he flushed, looking away angrily. Great, now he looked like an idiot.

"I'll see you later," he muttered, turning on his heel and stalking off down the hallway, leaving the girl behind him.

……………

Katara watched him go, half of her wanting to call out to him to wait while the other half of her wondered why. He was fun to talk to even if he was a little awkward at times. She knew the boy was from the fire district but that didn't necessarily mean he was a bad person. Most likely he didn't have anything to do with the strange occurrences going on and it wasn't like he could control where he was born any more than she could. Maybe she would try to get to know him better after all.

Hakoda had left early that morning, hence the reason for her foul mood, and though she'd sent him off with a hug and a smile she was still angry and hurt. She couldn't bring herself to be around Sokka right then either as he'd just let their father go without protest and she just couldn't bring herself to agree with that. Suki was tutoring and Aang was receiving his schedule from the secretaries in the office, thus leaving the girl by herself.

"Katara!" She jumped and turned toward the person who had called her name, her mouth folding into a smile when she saw who it was.

"Jet, hey!" she responded, waving to the scruffy brown haired boy as he walked over to her. The teen was a troublemaker there was no doubt about it. He was constantly goofing off in class, dated a new girlfriend every other week, and had a quick temper to match his quick wit. He and Katara had met last year and become fast friends almost right away. She had to admit the boy had his quirks yet he was a good friend nonetheless. Jet gave her his usual side smirk and leaned up against the locker, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's wrong with you? You look like your granny just died," he remarked, cocking an eyebrow. Katara rolled her eyes and slumped against the locker beside him.

"Very funny…" she muttered.

"So…" the boy prompted. Katara frowned and threw her hands up in the air.

"Life is just so frustrating right now!" she burst out, earning some odd glances from the students filling past. Jet laughed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"You're going to have to elaborate a little more than that. Despite several common misconceptions, I'm not a mind reader," he said to her. Katara shrugged, quickly deciding to leave out her father being some kind of secret agent from whatever she happened to tell him.

"My brother's being an idiot," she finally complained.

"Sokka's always an idiot." Katara laughed and shook her head at her friend's comment.

"I know but even more so than usual," she responded. "I can tell he's upset about something but he won't tell me anything. It's driving me crazy! How am I supposed to help him if he won't open up to me? I mean we're family! Family is supposed to talk together about their problems right?" she asked, her voice laced with frustration. Jet shrugged.

"Not necessarily," he murmured darkly, all humor gone from his tone. Katara glanced up at him only to see a cold distant look in his eyes that hadn't been there a moment before. The girl winced; mentally smacking herself for bringing up what she knew was a sore subject with Jet. His parents had died when he was young and he'd been raised going from one foster family to another before he'd finally found one that decided to keep him. Even so he still didn't really consider them his parents; that was just the way he was.

"Sorry! I didn't mean to…" she trailed off, shifting her gaze to the ground. Jet shook his head and grinned down at her.

"Don't worry about it. You're fine," he responded. "Moving on, I think you're overreacting about this whole Sokka thing. Not everyone is like you; some of us actually try to solve our problems on our own." Katara frowned.

"I know but-!"

"Just give him time. He'll talk to you eventually, he's just got to figure things out on his own first," Jet told her. The girl opened her mouth to reply but right at that moment an announcement over the loudspeaker stopped her.

"Katara Kuruk to the main office. Katara Kuruk to the main office please. Thank you." The girl harrumphed and lazily pushed herself off the locker.

"I've got to go. Thanks for listening Jet, it helps a lot," she said to him. The boy grinned at her.

"Anytime." Giving him another smile Katara waved and headed off down the hallway, hoping Aang hadn't gotten himself into trouble of any kind. She couldn't think of any other reason why she would have been called to the office. Upon arriving she stepped inside, looking for her brown haired friend though was immediately distracted as one of the secretaries called her over. A small name plate on the desk revealed her title to be Joo Dee Brown. She smiled and addressed Katara.

"Your teachers think very highly of you Miss. Kuruk and because of this you have been recommended to show our new transfer student around for as long as it takes them to feel comfortable," she said to her. Katara blinked. She'd been planning on giving Aang a tour anyway but this just made it official.

"Absolutely ma'am, I'd be happy to," she responded, a warm smile on her face. Mrs. Brown nodded and Katara got the feeling that she seemed rather relieved.

"I'm glad to hear it. She is from a very high ranked family and so is used to being treated a little differently than the rest of us. It will be good for her to have influence from other, more regular students," the secretary said. Katara cocked her head to one side, suddenly confused.

"She? Ma'am weren't you talking about Aang just now? The new boy from the air district?" she asked. Joo Dee stared at her like she'd just grown an extra pair of eyes before bursting into gales of shrill laughter.

"Of course not! We wouldn't go to such lengths for such an ordinary transfer student. No we have to make sure we take care of this young lady's unique needs as best we can," she answered. Katara bit her lip, not sure whether she should feel offended for Aang or not.

"What's this girl's name ma'am?" she inquired. Joo Dee's mouth opened in a huge white toothed smile.

"Toph. Toph Beifong."

……………

**Yay Toph is finally going to make her appearance. I've missed having her in my writing and now I finally can!! Zuko's infiltration will take place next chapter. Thank you so much to all of my amazing reviewers who keep me writing this story!**

**~Phoenix**


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